For years it engraved the image on our streets like no other vehicle. And with the slogan " it runs and runs and runs...!" it became a legend which to this day still inspires both old and young alike. It is probably the timelessness, the simplicity and the dependability of this vehicle which have made it into that what it still is today: The Beetle Legend. (Click on the photos!) |
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 In Austria alone there are almost forty different Beetle clubs and at the regular Beetle-Meetings you can come together to exchange information - with friends, who have over time become a huge family. And so it is not unusual for so many members to undertake a journey of over 1,000 kilometres in order to attend an anniversary celebration, just like the one which recently took place in Fürstenfeld. |
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 Having 21.5 million models which were produced from 1938 to 2003 the Beetle became the most sold automobile in the world by the year 2002. And still no other vehicle seems to compare. It is certainly the owner's love and enthusiasm which makes each and every Beetle a little individual work of art. |
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 Countless working hours are invested in order to give the old metal a new glamour and every meeting becomes a rich source of treasures for the proud owner. And thus every Beetle fan can find something which can make his/her darling a little bit nicer. |
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 You have to be born a hobbyist if the enthusiasm for “old-timers”( vintage cars) is to wrap you up. And so you can't begin to count the many hours which are needed for the maintenance of such rarities. |
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 Or you could make it easy like this Beetle fan who found a way to satisfy his hobby with considerably humble physical expenses: |
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 It is now well known that the VW Beetle is one of the most reliable vehicles ever built. However did you know that this vehicle can also swim? VW have built an amphibian vehicle, model 166, which not even deep water can stop. In Austria there are 52 of these rare models which have already reached a value of 100,000 Euro. This vehicle comprises 25 horsepower and 1100 ccm and it naturally comes with four-wheel drive in order to facilitate a smooth transition from water to land. |
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 Whoever wants to drive a Beetle must leave all the stress and hustle and bustle at home. Packing 30 and sometimes up to a max of 50 horsepower under the hood, which naturally is located at the rear end of a Beetle, this vehicle was not created for fast joyrides. This is no problem however as the Beetle driver is a connoisseur who doesn't care if he/she arrives at a destination a half hour late. |
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 At the Beetle meeting in Fürstenfeld a sensation was provided for the numerous fans. Seven amphibian vehicles of the model VW 166 were on site and you could experience firsthand what it feels like to drive a car through waters two metres deep. Sorry - to swim. |
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 All's well and good but what comes then? Sounds dangerous! - Something which creates a stir? What looks like a Beetle from the outside reveals itself to be a powerhouse sports car on closer observation. |
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 Let's say: the exception proves the rule. And just a few metres further a tasty titbit is to be found which resembles more closely the character of a typical Beetle. This model has nowhere near enough horsepower under the hood but it isn't lacking in engineering sophistication either. |
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 How is it so nicely put? It runs and runs and runs...guaranteed until the next Beetle meeting, which is already taking place this coming weekend.
Script: Peter Bratko / Copyright 2009.
Video: only German version!!! |
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